When studying in Spain three summers ago, fortunately, I was able to get a taste of not only different food, but a different culture as well. Now, I am not one of those annoying people who say something along the lines of, “My study abroad trip changed my life,” or “I wouldn’t be the person I was today if it weren’t for my study abroad trip.” However, I will be one of the people who say that it gave me a chance to observe the different values and traditions between two cultures. In the Spanish culture, eating meals with your family and friends is an important part of the day. In fact, the entire country shuts down in the middle of the day so workers and children have a chance to go home and spend time with their family. I was fortunate enough to experience this, and was able to take a break out of my day to spend time with my friends. Each family goes home to one another to spend time and eat a meal together, maybe take a nap afterwards, and then go back to work or school after they are done. This whole tradition seems to be centered around the meal, where the food symbolizes something much bigger than just food. This tradition values spending quality time with friends and family.

Currently, I am sitting in the Caesar Rodney dining hall, questioning the American culture and the values that seem to have been lost in the generations. As I people watch, in the least creepy way possible, I see students with headphones in, staring at their phones or computers while eating a meal by themselves. It seems that everyone is so isolated, yet so connected at the same time. As we all eat watery omelettes made from questionable “eggs,” we all sit by ourselves and stare at our screens. It’s weird to see how we don’t utilize these small breaks in between classes to spend this time with friends or check in with a family member. Insead, it looks as though everyone is keeping their heads down with their mouths shut, yet seeing everything everyone is doing and interacting with people through a screen rather than face-to-face.

Many cultures use meals as a time to sit down with their family and friends, enjoying themselves as they hear about each others days. Here, however, as I sit in this dining hall, people are looking to find a seat at least two seats away from another person, which makes it difficult for the next person looking for a seat. God forbid they sit down next to someone they don’t know. It’s crazy to me how a generation so connected with technology and social media can be so disconnected in the real world. People can hide behind their screens and say whatever they want to whoever they want, yet when it comes to real life will not say a word. Although technology has helped our culture thrive and develop, it has also washed away many values that we used to have. Rather than emphasizing quality time with friends and family, we seem to replace that time with screen time, chipping away the values that we used to prioritize.